Obsessions and Compulsions: Know the Two Facets of OCD

OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder is a debilitating disorder that affects 1 in 100 adults or 2-3 million adults in the US.

Marked by obsession and compulsion, people with the condition live their daily lives consumed with distressing thoughts and disrupted with repetitive behaviors.

Fortunately, help is available. Through telehealth, support, and other outpatient mental health services, patients can still live a happy and fulfilling life.

Along with these mental health services in Hamilton, New Jersey, as a family member, you can also help in their treatment by educating yourself. This way, you can have a better understanding of the condition and be a better ally.

As a provider of psychiatry in New Jersey at K Mental Wellness, we say it helps to begin by knowing the two facets of OCD, obsession and compulsion, and what these look like in real life.

• Obsessions

  These are persistent thoughts and impulses that recur and cause distressing emotions such as anxiety or disgust.

  Typical obsessions include fear of getting contaminated by people, extreme concern with order, symmetry, or precision, fear of losing or discarding something important, as well as recurrent intrusive thoughts of sounds, images, words, or numbers.

• Compulsions

  These are repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to an obsession that one feels compelled to do.

  Typical compulsions include excessive or ritualized hand washing and brushing teeth, cleaning household objects repeatedly, arranging things a particular way, as well as checking locks and switches to make sure they are locked or turned on/off.

We hope this helped! For more like this, be sure to check back.